Is sustainable tourism a goal that came true? The Italian experience of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park

•The tourism and hospitality industry produces a variety of economic and social benefits.•To explore whether the tourism destination is managed following specific sustainable goals we administered a paper survey to local tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs.•Less attention is posed on the implement...

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Veröffentlicht in:Land use policy 2021-02, Vol.101, p.105198, Article 105198
Hauptverfasser: D’Arco, Mario, Lo Presti, Letizia, Marino, Vittoria, Maggiore, Giulio
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:•The tourism and hospitality industry produces a variety of economic and social benefits.•To explore whether the tourism destination is managed following specific sustainable goals we administered a paper survey to local tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs.•Less attention is posed on the implementation of sustainable tourism practices.•Local tourism entrepreneurs and citizens are not engaged in the complex process of decision-making and management of the protected areas. According to previous research, in several countries, the achievement of the objectives for tourism development and the better functioning of protected areas is affected by bad governance activities. This paper provides a framework based on the combination between the Viable Systems Approach (vSa) and the actor engagement theory for improving the managerial effectiveness of protected areas. Exploring the case of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, a well-known tourism destination in Southern Italy, we gave empirical evidence of the risks that can occur when the governing body of protected areas does not adopt a systems-based management approach, and therefore cannot handle the complexity of the territory, generate socio-economic benefits for local populations, resolve conflicts with local actors, or advance sustainable tourism goals. Findings suggest that the governing body should adopt specific strategies to engage local actors in decision-making and idea-generation processes. Such strategies could help to integrate resources within the system, co-create value and handle conflicts when the goals are not mutually aligned. Hence, actor engagement is necessary for achieving conditions of systemic consonance and resonance.
ISSN:0264-8377
1873-5754
DOI:10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105198